Runaway Spoon

After the much-publicized wild brawl between the Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball team and a Chinese team, one can expect beefed-up security for the remainder of the team’s 11-day trip in Asia.

Georgetown's Head Coach John Thompson III and two of the team’s student-athletes met with members of the Bayi Rockets on Friday morning following the now-famous exhibition game on Thursday. Both teams presented an autographed ball as a gift.

The coaches expressed interest in future exchanges, with Thompson inviting Chinese youth players to the Hoya summer camp next year.

Next up is competition in the Nike Sports Festival in Shanghai this weekend.

As the onsite national media reported it, in the fourth quarter of the tight game against one of China’s best teams, Georgetown Hoyas’ Thompson III pulled the team off the court after benches cleared and Chinese fans tossed plastic bottles at the Hoya players and coaches. The Chinese also threw chairs onto the court. It was Twitter nirvana for reporters and fans who witnessed the fight.

The Beijing mêlée broke out after a Georgetown guard was trapped in a press and pushed to the floor. Chinese players furiously kicked a Hoya player as he struggled to get up.

A master of protocol, Thompson, quickly issued the following statement following the ugly brawl. A copy was e-mailed to The Georgetown Dish.

“Tonight, two great teams played a very competitive game that unfortunately ended after heated exchanges with both teams. We sincerely regret that this situation occurred. We remain grateful for the opportunity our student-athletes are having to engage in a sport they love here in China, while strengthening their understanding of a nation we respect and admire at Georgetown University.”

Uh-huh.

“Crazy evening,” a Georgetown University sports staffer on the scene told The Dish.

While on his trip to China for economic talks, Vice President Biden attended a game the night before the ruckus game was played.

Also in China for exhibition games is Duke’s basketball team – a series which seems to be going peacefully and uneventfully.

In front of a spirited crowd that included Vice President Joe Biden, the Georgetown University men’s basketball team won its first game during an 11-day tour of China, beating the Shanxi Brave Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association, 98-81, at the National Olympic Sports Center.

Biden arrived in Beijing on Wednesday evening and came in for the start of the game, visiting with Head Coach John Thompson III and the Hoyas in their locker-room prior to tip-off. He sat with Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia during the game and left at halftime.

Freshman forward Otto Porter (Sikeston, Mo). scored 16 points to lead six players in double figures as the Hoyas connected on 47.0 percent of their field goals (34-of-71) and opened up a 13-point lead at the half, 55-42.

“This group has to manage itself, and so whether we win big or lose big while we’re over here, the purpose of this trip is to establish habits and how we need to do things,” Thompson said. “We have a long ways to go.

“I’m glad some of those things happened (the VP attending) because life in the BIG EAST is one big distraction. Being fortunate enough to play at Georgetown, we have many events like this.

“We were excited and honored to have the Vice President, as he said, traveled 24 hours to see us play, along with the many, countless Chinese politicians and delegates that came to watch their team play, as well as ours.”

The Brave Dragons won the opening tip, but the Hoyas were the first on the board after a three-pointer from junior forward Hollis Thompson (Los Angeles).

The Hoyas play one more game in Beijing, on Thursday against the Bayi Rockets. They’ll play later on the trip in Shanghai.

Biden’s boss – who is known to shoot a few hoops himself and has seen the Hoyas play previously --still has time to make one of those tip-offs.

The Georgetown men’s basketball team visited the famed Great Wall of China on Tuesday, parts of which are 26 feet high -- not exactly a sure bet place to practice slam dunks.

The Hoyas visited the “North Pass” of Juyongguan pass, known as the Badaling. This portion of the Great Wall is approximately 16 feet wide—a free throw plus a foot.

(Photo by: Georgetown Sports Information)The team checks out Chinese defense but it's a wall not man to man zone

Among the interesting sites along the highway on the road trip was that of Beijing’s Disney Land, which was never able to take off and had been sitting unused for nearly 10 years, the team learned.

Following their two-hour jaunt at the Great Wall, the Georgetown team practiced for the first time during their stay, working out at the Tiantan Sports Center, which houses the East Star Basketball Training Camp.

Before taking the court, Head Coach John Thompson III spoke to a group of approximately 20 Chinese boys and then had them do layup drills with members of the Georgetown team. The Hoyas also worked on dribbling and defensive techniques with the youngsters.

Following the clinic, there was no rest for the young Hoyas; they worked out for nearly 90 minutes more.

Then, the team practiced their social graces at a reception hosted by Georgetown President John J. DeGioia on Tuesday night at the Pangu Hotel in Beijing, located directly across the street from the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, two of the spectacular facilities used for the 2008 Olympics.